a kiss before dying
by MedusaOfTheSpecies
Summary: 'Lavender had never believed in the gods Parvati worships, but in that moment, she prayed to any deity out there that they would make it through this night alive.' :: Or, 5 ways in which Voldemort could have won, through the eyes of Parvati and Lavender.


**a kiss before dying**

For Amber, my badass Vodka Aunt and all-around idol. I would never abandon you in the lake, my love (tho I will consistently joke about it for the rest of our lives)

 **…**

i. Or, _in which Voldemort wins in Godric's Hollow and establishes his own system for Hogwarts._

The room was too crowded.

Lavender winced as Astoria's elbow hits her ribcage. Parvati, who was laying on her lap, let out a frustrated moan and glared at the other girl. Astoria didn't bother apologizing; she merely shuffled further to prevent it from happening again.

"I call this meeting to order," Pansy Parkinson announced from the opposite side of the room where she was perched on the edge of Theodore's bed.

"Who died and made you queen, Pansy?" Draco Malfoy mumbled and Neville Longbottom laughed, but both were mysteriously silenced by the intensity of Pansy's returning glare.

Blaise sighed at their antics, shaking his head in exasperation. "Can any of you focus for even a second?"

Lavender bristled back, sticking her tongue out at him. "Well, Zabini, if you stopped sleeping with Theo and laughing at the fate of your mother's suitors for longer than a moment, you might have seen evidence that we can."

"Well, I don't see it now, Lavender," Blaise answered smoothly. "For a Slytherin, you sure don't have a very firm grasp on your emotions."

Lavender was about to answer but was beat to it by Astoria Greengrass, who shook her head in disgust. "Really? Are we going to argue over this now? When we all know why we're really here?"

That quieted the room even further. _I'm sorry,_ Lavender mouthed at Blaise, who blew her a kiss back in apology.

"Look," Astoria continued, "I know tensions are high. But the announcement today—Professor Carrow said… she said Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters are coming to visit the school and… observe any houses other than Pureblooded Slytherin. I'm not naive enough to think it will end well."

"And how is that my problem?" Daphne Greengrass demanded, her hands clenched together in her lap. "I am well aware of the way the Dark Lord's system works. Slytherin is for those of the noble Pureblood stock, Ravenclaw is for Half-Blooded scholars worthy of notice, Hufflepuff is for the dafter half-bloods and Muggleborns with talent, and Gryffindor is for those Muggleborn who shall work as… staff."

A mocking voice answered her. "Do you mean slaves, Daphne? I think you got staff and slaves mixed up," Ginny mocked. "I, for one, vote we protect those in the lower houses. I don't particularly feel like living with death on my conscience."

Blaise shook his head. "I'm with Daphne. The system works, Ginevra."

At that, the room erupted into chaos. "Do you have a heart?" Astoria shouted at her sister, Draco continued to mumble his disgust, Theo's pleading voice was lost against the crowd, and Lavender glared at Daphne until she felt Parvati shift and stand up.

"Stop, all of you." Parvati's voice was firm and commanding. "We take a vote. Raise your hand if you are in favour of doing all we can to have a smooth… inspection."

"At least call it what it really is," Ginny shouted. "A massacre. How many Gryffindors did they kill last time the Death Eaters visited? Voldemort slaughtered my entire family and left me as breeding stock, I won't back down and call it a fucking inspection."

Parvati inclined her head in silent apology. "Raise your hands, everyone."

Ginny's hand shot up, followed by Parvati's own, Lavender's, Astoria's, Draco's, Theo's, Neville's and Pansy's.

A victory for them. Majority ruled.

"I guess we're doing this," Parvati mumbled, sinking back down into Lavender's lap as protests and plotting started in earnest.

Lavender kissed Parvati's shoulder, linking their hands. "I guess we are."

 **...**

 **ii**. _Or, In which Neville Longbottom is the boy who lived with Parvati and Lavender by his side._

Starting from their friendship at eleven, Parvati Patil had seen Neville Longbottom in every state—sprawled on the train floor searching for Trevor, crying over his grandmother's letters, miserably scratching out Transfiguration essays for McGonagall—but none compared to this.

"I have to go alone," Neville said and Parvati clutched onto his shoulder tightly, her nails digging into the fabric of his shirt.

"You reckless, idiotic, prat," Lavender said from where she was hugging Neville, squishing the three of them together so tightly that Parvati thought she might suffocate. "You better come back, you hear me? Or I'll come and hunt you down myself."

Neville smiled crookedly at that, a tear spilling from his eye that he quickly wiped away. "It's going to be okay, Lav. I promise."

"You said that yesterday," Parvati sniffed, kissing his cheek. Lavender slipped her hand into Parvati's own and fluffed Neville's hair with a familiar motion.

"I was right, wasn't I?" Neville said softly and reached down to kiss their cheeks before slipping away.

Parvati watched him go and in that minute, she hated the world more than ever before, hated every adult who had placed the world on Neville's shoulders.

"He better fucking come back," Lavender echoed, swiping impatiently at the tears streaming down her face.

"Or we'll hunt him ourselves," Parvati promised, praying silently it would never come to that.

 **...**

 **iii**. _Or, in which the rebellion continues to the next gen and Parvati and Lavender make a choice._

When Lavender entered the room, Parvati thought she might collapse of relief. The sight of her wife's face, despite being covered in scars and blood and dirt, was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

"Lav!" Parvati exclaimed, abandoning her station without a single coherent thought other than getting Lavender into her arms.

Lavender smiled tiredly, kissing her forehead but denying Parvati's arms. "I'm bloody," Lavender explained. "Don't need you being bloody too."

Parvati rolled her eyes. "As if I've never been bloody before."

At that, Lavender's face fell, and it was then that Parvati realized something was truly wrong. "How did the mission go?" Parvati asked urgently, taking Lavender's hands in her own. "Did everyone make it out alive?"

Lavender closed her eyes. "We lost Ernie—he died trying to save some kids."

"Kids!" Parvati whimpered, closing her mouth with her hands to stifle her scream. "It was supposed to be just a simple mission: get food and get out. How did you find kids? And Ernie, oh Ernie! He was always so selfless."

"We stumbled onto some kids hiding in a cellar in the informant's house," Lavender said grimly. "It was Cho, Hermione, Ernie, and me. The informant was nowhere to be found—dead, probably at this rate—but he was hiding Muggleborn kids in his home. We brought them all here but we were too big of a company, we lost Ernie to Death Eaters. And now, the kids, they're scarred for life, Pav. I don't even know what to do."

Parvati sighed, dragging her girlfriend back to the station she had abandoned to allow them both to sit down. "The kids need homes," she said tiredly.

"We don't have enough people to raise them, Pav," Lavender leaned into Parvati's shoulder. "Bill and Fleur already have their brood, Hermione and Ron adopted Rose, Dean and Seamus are overflowing with children in their home, and almost everyone else is constantly on the front lines."

Parvati thought her heart might melt as she saw the exact moment the realization hit Lavender.

"Pav," her wife whispered, "I know we didn't plan for kids in this war, but would… would you want to raise one? With me?

Despite it all, despite the war on their shoulders and blood all around them, Parvati let out a small laugh and held onto her goddess of a wife tighter. "Of course, silly. I'd love to raise one of these kids with you and give them a better life. Never doubt that."

 **...**

 **iv.** _Or, a world without the prophecy where Voldemort rose to power without any opposition._

Minister Riddle's eyes seemed almost red in the dark light of his office. Lavender Patil-Brown shifted uncomfortably, crossing her fingers under her desk.

"What makes you think you are worthy of a position as my secretary, Mrs. Patil-Brown?" the Minister asked, stretching leisurely.

The question seemed to be laced with a challenge and Lavender swallowed before answering. "I meet all of your qualifications, Minister Riddle. I graduated from Hogwarts. As well, I was previously an Auror before… well, before I decided to consider another career choice."

At her words, Minister Riddle let out a laugh that chilled Lavender down to the bone, the kind of laughter that brought down empires who thought they were immortal.

"Let me be frank with you." The Minister leaned closer, making eye contact. "There are plenty of candidates like you, many with higher marks and better former careers, who are applying here today. In fact, Mrs. Granger was just here before you… a Muggleborn, yes, but I have always valued power above blood."

Lavender's mouth puckered into a frown. Years later, Hermione Granger still made her look like a fool. It was like their dormitory competition had never ended!

Minister Riddle's smile widened at the frustration on her face. "May I call you Lavender?"

Lavender didn't get a chance to answer before he continued.

"Lavender, I see you had a formal letter of recommendation from Headmaster Dumbledore. How does a flighty girl with no connection to him get a recommendation, if I may ask?"

Lavender resisted the urge to duck her head and blush. "Headmaster Dumbledore was… a little paranoid. He always warned us darker things were coming and when I said I wanted to be an Auror, he was eager to help."

"And why would a girl like you want to be an Auror?" Minister Riddle challenged.

Lavender winced. "'My marks… they weren't very high. Professor McGonagall, my Head of House, well... she wasn't my biggest fan, to put it lightly. It was the only way I'd get a recommendation."

"And look how that turned out for you," Minister Riddle said sympathetically. "Lavender Patil-Brown, tragically maimed in an incident with Fenrir Greyback. Perhaps an Auror wasn't the career for you."

The words seemed genuine enough, but Lavender wanted to cry at how true they were. Becoming an Auror had been the worst decision of her life.

"And your wife?"

Lavender's head shot up in alarm. "Excuse me, Minister, but what does my wife have to do with anything?"

Minister Riddle waved her words away carelessly. "Oh, I heard Healer Patil-Brown was outraged that the lax treatment of the Auror department led to your particular situation?"

Lavender nodded, unsure. Nothing in this interview seemed to be making sense.

"You're hired, Mrs. Brown," he said, and Lavender's head shot up so fast she heard her neck crack in protest.

"Thank you, Minister," she said breathlessly.

In that moment, his eyes seemed even redder than before. "Don't thank me yet, Lavender Patil-Brown. Take my hand."

Lavender took it hesitantly and let out a scream as a skull-shaped mark appeared on her wrist.

Minister Riddle tsked sympathetically. "My apologies for the pain, Lavender, but it was necessary. Now, you may alert me in case you are in any trouble."

"Trouble?" Lavender asked confusedly, rubbing her arm. "I'm a secretary, why would I be in trouble?"

Minister Riddle let out a laugh. "You will be a little more than a secretary, Lavender, perhaps more of a… spy. I fear it is time for some Ministry supervision at Hogwarts, and I'm sure an intelligent girl like you is up to the task. Am I wrong?"

Lavender shook her head, ignoring the dull pain she still felt. Instead, she chose to focus on the pride she would feel when she'd tell Parvati she got the elite job. "Of course not, Minister Riddle. I'm up for the job. I'll be your spy at Hogwarts."

 **...**

 **v** _ **.**_ _Or, in which Voldemort wins in the canon verse._

Parvati was still.

Lavender grabbed her hand in a sharp twist, ignoring the muffled yelp of startled pain that accompanies her actions. Beside them, silence loomed like an omen of death, suffocating them like a noose pulled.

"Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!" Voldemort thundered, smug and ruthless in his victorious contempt.

Lavender had never believed in the gods Parvati worships, but in that moment, she prayed to any deity out there that they would make it through this night alive. The alternative was far too grim to even consider.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," Voldemort continued and there was relish in his voice, "killed while trying to save himself —"

In the corner of her eye, Lavender saw Neville curl his hands into fists, saw Ginny snarl, mouth twisted into something vicious and cruel, saw Cho glare, posture unsteady but mind firmly set, saw Ron and Hermione guarding each other's backs, saw all the kids she watched turn into warriors get ready for a fight.

Maybe because of that, she almost missed it, the way Parvati bit the inside of her cheek to smother a whimper as she stepped up.

Lavender didn't let go, tried to pull her back in hope, in fear, in prayer, but the movement caught Voldemort's eye and he mock-bowed, gesturing for Parvati to come even closer.

"Who do we have here?" Voldemort said and Lavender only got as far as opening her mouth before Parvati spat on the ground in front of his feet.

Lavender reached out to pull her girlfriend back, but Voldemort was faster, trailing a finger down Parvati's cheekbones. "My, my, so courageous. A real lion we have here."

"Let her go." Lavender's voice came out shaky and dry, but a small smile spread across Voldemort's lips nonetheless.

"Is this your girlfriend?" Voldemort hissed, and at Parvati's frantic head-shake, beamed.

Behind her, Lavender could vaguely make out the screams of an uproar, but the ringing in her ears was too loud to understand what they're saying.

"Well, for such a brave girl, I should reward you. Ms. Brown is very beautiful, Ms. Patil. You should be proud."

At this, Bellatrix cackled, her head thrown back in maniac delight. Lavender dug her nails into her palms as Parvati frantically shook her head and mouthed "run."

The screams of the crowd reach the loudest volume Lavender had ever heard in her life, but it was as if the world has gone silent.

It was not until Fenrir Greyback stepped up, blood soaking his skin and a hungry look in his eyes, that Lavender understood.

"Run!" the crowd screamed, but it was far too late.

After that, all Lavender saw was the sight of Parvati crumbling to her knees and a painful darkness.

Not even Lavender Brown looked beautiful in death.

 **…**

 **Written for:**

Triwizard, House Gryffindor: OTP - Parvati/Lavender, AU: Voldemort Wins, Dialogue - "You said that yesterday," Word - reckless

Character Appreciation: Profession - Spy

Writing Club, Gaia: (Character) Tom Riddle, (word) darkness, (word) goddess

Showtime: Words Fail - (word) Worthy

Count your Buttons: (word) claim, (phrase) "take my hand."

TV Show Of The Month: Mary Morstan - (word) Intelligent, (occupation) Spy, (dialogue) "Are you going to see him again?"

Liza's Loves: A Kiss Before Dying

Sticker Challenge, Locations Collection: The Burrow - Write about a family

Crazy Stupid Love - Write about a dangerous romance or relationship.


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